If you turn on your computer and receive a message that says "AMD OverDrive Failed to Start," it means that AMD's system monitor and overclocking toolkit program has experienced an error when launching and is unable to run. The problem may range from something as easy to fix as a bad installation to something as complex and near impossible to fix like a hardware malfunction.

AMD OverDrive

AMD OverDrive is an all-in-one solution for monitoring system health and making hardware overclocking available to the user within a user-friendly Windows application. Overclocking modifies a computer component to run faster than the manufacturer intended -- but by doing so you run the risk of overheating and damaging the computer if the overclocked parts are not properly cooled. Before programs like OverDrive, overclocking was either handled within the system BIOS at startup or with physical jumpers on the motherboard.

Corrupted Program

If OverDrive was working fine before and suddenly stops working without reason, there's a good chance the program's installation is corrupted, which means that a file is no longer usable because a hardware or software error occurred when editing a file and recorded incomplete data -- for example, you could have lost power when updating an OverDrive setting. You can fix a corrupted OverDrive by uninstalling and reinstalling the program.

Hardware Requirements & Non-AMD Systems

The AMD OverDrive program is specifically tailored to work with AMD motherboard chipsets and AMD processors based on the unique hardware. If the computer runs a non-AMD CPU, OverDrive will not work. Further, AMD OverDrive only works with specific AMD Chipsets and CPUs, so the program may fail to start because the computer does not feature a compatible CPU or motherboard even if it is made by AMD. Both the CPU and the motherboard need to be compatible with the program.

Driver and Hardware Malfunctions

AMD OverDrive works very intimately with the computer's hardware: it can actually change how the hardware operates. AMD OverDrive may fail to run if If the hardware is physically broken, the chipset has a bad driver or the chipset driver isn't installed. Broken hardware needs to be replaced. Bad or missing chipset drivers can be updated through Windows Update or directly from AMD. Additionally, new hardware may cause compatibility problems: if you've recently installed new hardware it could be incompatible with OverDrive.

Virus

According to Microsoft, malware like the SirCam virus can stop programs from starting. It's unlikely, but possible, that the AMD OverDrive program is infected with a virus or other malware that has created an error in the code that prevents the program from running. You can remove the virus from the computer by running a full-system anti-virus scan. OverDrive may work again after the virus has been removed, but it may require re-installation to fix.

About the Author

Dan Stone started writing professionally in 2006, specializing in education, technology and music. He is a web developer for a communications company and previously worked in television. Stone received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and a Master of Arts in communication studies from Northern Illinois University.